The Israeli air defense systems are on high alert expecting a Houthi response to Friday's strike on Yemeni infrastructure. This was the Air Force's fifth attack in Yemen since October 7 but the first joint American attack. That attack came a day after the intercept of three drones launched from the east at Israeli territory, and after the Houthis had already launched more than 40 surface-to-surface missiles and 320 drones since the outbreak of the war.
Israel strikes Houthis during anti-Israel rally
More than 20 Air Force aircraft took part in the attack, traveling about 2,000 km from Israel to Yemen, and dropping about 50 munitions on three main targets. The fighter jets carried out operational refueling in midair, en route to the targets. In the footage published by the IDF, the F-16s that attacked Yemen are visible in the skies of the Middle East, and the moment of the refueling in the air – carried out by a Boeing 707.
A representative of CENTCOM, the United States Central Command, was in the Israeli Air Force’s attack cell, to ensure maximum coordination. The IDF spokesperson said that among the targets was the Haziz power plant, which serves as a central electricity infrastructure for the Houthi regime, as well as the ports of Ras Isa and Hodeidah on Yemen's western coast.
IAF refuel in midair
(Video: IDF)
The attack on the power plant near Sanaa occurred during the huge weekly demonstration against Israel held in the capital. A Sanaa resident told Ynet that most neighborhoods in the city were cut off from electricity due to the attack on the power plant.
Defense Minister Israel Katz followed the attacks in Yemen from the Air Force command center along with the air force commander, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, and other senior officials. "The IDF's attack today in Yemen is a clear and unequivocal message to the leader of the Houthi terrorist organization, Abd al-Malik al-Houthi, and the leaders of the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen: There will be no immunity for anyone. We will pursue and hunt you down and destroy the terror infrastructure you have established."
Katz further said: "Israel's long hand will catch up with you everywhere. Thousands of Houthis who participated in a hate march against Israel heard the power of the Air Force planes up close. The port of Hodeidah is paralyzed and the port of Ras Isa is burning, and the message is clear: whoever harms Israel will be harmed sevenfold." Another Israeli official threatened the Houthi leadership, saying that it "will have to decide whether it wants to end up like the leadership of Hezbollah and Hamas."
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An Israeli senior official said, "other countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are happy with this." After the attacks, senior Houthi leader Hazam al-Assad tweeted in Hebrew on X. "What the enemy does not understand is that its aggression has strengthened the unity of the Yemenis in an unprecedented way, and the Yemeni response strike on Israel's strategic depth will be devastating, escalating, and ongoing. Wait for surprises. We will not promise threats like the clown Netanyahu promised. We will let the missiles and the various and destructive drones speak to the depth of the Zionist enemy. Then the settlers will curse Herzl, Balfour, Ben-Gurion, Britain, and everyone who brought them to Palestine."